Analysis of audio media products

Into

In this report I will be talking about audio media products (AMP's). The main aspects I will be talking about are, purpose, form & style, content, meaning, genre, target audience, frequency and production process. The AMP's I will be looking at are, Twenty One Pilots (music), The fault in our stars (audio book), Ear biscuits (podcast), BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton (radio) and BBC 5 live Richard Bacon (podcast).

Purpose

Purpose of audio media products can vary from entertaining, inform or instruct. Twenty-One Pilots purpose is to entertain because it is a piece of music. Also the artists want to connect withe the audience and get their message across. The fault in our stars purpose is to give people the ability that are unable to read the chance to listen to books also it entertains because people enjoy books. Ear biscuits the purpose of this is to entertain and to inform the audience about You Tubers personal lives. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton the purpose is to entertain and introduce people into upcoming music starts. Finally BBC 5 live Richard Bacon is to entertain and to inform the audience of the personal lives of celebrities. Also it tells daily TV highlights. In comparison most AMP's have the same purpose to entertain and also sometimes of inform.

Form & Style

This is what the product actual is and what form it is and what style it is, formal, conversational or informal. Twenty One Pilots is a band that produce music, this is usually informal. The fault in our stars is an audio book, the style of the produce depends on the book but for this particular book is informal because it is a fiction. It's informal because it's a fiction but has a formal subject. Ear biscuits is a podcast, this is very informal and it’s conversational, also because the guests are usually friends of the hosts. BBC Radio 1 Wearne Cotton is a radio show; it's very informal there is some discussion from the host. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon, this is a podcast.  This is the most informal AMP I am reviewing because it is all discussion and about their lives. But it does have hosts on it that are there to promote something they've done. The form and style can range massively but out of the ones I am reviewing they are all quite informal this makes it more relaxing for the audience and they don't have to be completely focused in the AMP. But when listening to an audio book you have to be focused on it because if not you'll miss the story.

Content

This is what is actually in the AMP and what that delivers to the audience. Twenty-One Pilots in their albums and sometimes they have videos explaining the songs meaning. This gives the audience a sense of what the audience wanted to get across. The fault in our stars this has the book read out, this gives people who can't read a chance to listen to a book. Celebrities can read out the books. So it delivers a story to the audience. Ear biscuits this entire podcast it an interview between the hosts the guests. It delivers entertainment to the audience and gives them more information about the guest this is because the hosts asks questions that wouldn't normal be asked in interviews. BBC Radio 1 Wearne Cotton plays pop chart music and new music. Sometimes it has special guests to promote their new single/album, they do this because their music is the same genre that the audience of the radio show like. Also there is some discussion. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon has mostly discussion with the guests about what they are promoting, also they discuss anecdotes from their lives. Also it has the guests view on the latest pop culture news. All of the AMP's I'm reviewing have a similar content that is has taking and is conversational but they all talk about different subjects and have different types of guests.

Meaning 

This is what the product does convey in terms of meaning, whether it seeks influence or engage the listener throughout. In some ways Twenty One Pilots meaning to influence and engage the audience. The artist wants to influence the listener so they can connect with them. But also they want to engage with them so the band can communicate with the audience. The fault in our stars, it’s meaning it to engage with the listener with the book, because it’s a book it's important to engage the listener throughout. Also some audio books influence the listener on an emotional level. Ear biscuits engages the audience throughout because it' s a whole conversation and the podcast is an hour long so that’s just short enough to keep the listener interested. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton, the radio show is meant for entertainment of it mostly engages the listener, but when they introduce new music it influences the audience. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon this also influences and engages the audience because they talk about pop culture and their opinions on different events. Overall all of the AMP's engage and influence the audience throughout this is because it is audio there is nothing do distract the listener like a video too watch a long to, this means that the listener has to try to concentrate on it which makes them more likely to be influenced. 

Genre

This is just the genre it belongs to and how you can tell. Twenty-One Pilots genre is rap/electro/indie. This is because the vocals are mostly rap and the actual music is a mix between a classic piano and a electronic keyboard. The fault in our stars is a love story this is shown by the style the characters talk to each other and their relationship. Ear biscuits genre is Internet culture this is because they have popular You tubers as guests and it is their lives. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton this genre is pop culture although it dose play other genres but it mostly sticks to pop music and plays the most popular songs. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon is modern culture, there in no particular genre because they talk about a wide range or topics. It's more appropriate for radio to have a genre of pop culture rather than a podcast because the radio is more frequent at most of the time is live so they can have the latest news compared to a podcast which is pre-recorded and could be outdated by the time it is available. 

Target Audience 

This is the target audience each AMP has. Twenty-One Pilots target audience is 16-25. Under 16's wouldn't really understand the meaning behind the words and what the lyrics are actually saying. For over 25's the music is probably to pop culture like. The fault in our stars this target audience is 10-20 year olds this is because it is a romantic story and very classic and that’s the age range for. Ear biscuits target audience is 14-19 year olds this is the average range of people that watch YouTube videos. Under 14's aren't particularly interested in in the lives of their favorites You Tubers. Over 19's are starting to grow out of that lifestyle. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton this target audience is from 15-25 this is because that’s the age range that likes and listens to pop music. Under 15's will mostly listen and radio 1 all does some alternative music. Then over 25's are less interested in pop music and are beginning to find their individual music taste. The RAJAR data says that the average hour per listener is 6.4 and the average hour per head is 1.3. Finally BBC 5 live Richard Bacon target audience is 20-35 year olds this is because for under 20's the subjects they talk about wouldn't be very interesting and the same for over 35's. The RAJAR data says that the average hour per listener is 0.8 and the average hour per head is 0.8. The target audience is around about the same of all the AMP's this is because having so many different variety’s of AMP's is a very modern thing that has only come about in the last 40 years. 

Frequency

This is how often the AMP is available/updated and why that is significant. Twenty One Pilots the band usually releases a new album every year. Then after the release its they will usually go on a tour to promote the album. A year is a good time because it gives the fans to appreciate the first album and time for the hype about it calm down. Also with it being an annual thing the fans will know that it’s coming and get excited about it. The fault in our stars, because it can only be produced once there isn't really a frequency, although different people can read it out. Ear biscuits, a new episode is released every week, this is a good constant for fans to keep up with not to fast and not too slow. Also people can select which guest they want to listen to. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton, this radio show is on every day. This means the listener is updated everyday on the latest’s pop songs e.g. new releases and pop news. Also it means that popular music can played a lot, which is good for the artist and audience. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon, this AMP is updated every day and available for 30 days. Because there is a constant subjects for discussion available. Also people can select which guest they want to listen to. The reason that BBC 5 live Richard Bacon is produced mores frequently compared to Ear biscuits is because they talk about the news and that is more frequent and they have more to talk about. Also Ear biscuits is all about the guest and it would be difficult to get a difficult guest for every day. 

Production Process

This is where and how the AMP is produced and how it's available for consumption. Twenty One Pilots their music is produced in a recording studio. Then sound edited to make sure it’s all even sound wise. Then the music can be listened to on the internet and the radio. But it can only be brought on the internet and by CD. The fault in our stars was read out in a studio and audio edited, they are only available on the internet. Ear biscuits is produced is a studio with microphones and headphones then is edited on a computer. It is available on iTunes and other sites that have podcast’s available. BBC Radio 1 Fearne Cotton the radio show is produced in the BBC studios with headphones and microphones, whack is balanced out by a computer. People can listen to it on the internet or on the radio. Sometimes on the internet you can watch the show when they have guests in the live lounge. BBC 5 live Richard Bacon is produced in a BBC studio with headphones and microphones, which go to a computer, and is only available on the internet. All of the AMP's I have reviewed are produced in a studio this is because is the easiest way to produce it and get good quality. Because of how the internet has grown massively it's important for the products to be available on there.